Based on data published by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia, there were 64 194 056 SMEs in 2019, which made up 99.99% of the total business population and employed 96.9% of the total workforce. In this report, SMEs consist of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Outstanding loans to all businesses declined by 3.2% year on year (y-o-y) in 2020 (IDR 6,069.39 trillion), with 20.43% of this amount (IDR 1 240.23 trillion) allocated to SMEs. Despite the decrease in 2020, outstanding loans in the past ten years (2011-20) still experienced growth with an average yearly growth rate of 13.38%.
In the last three years (2018-20), non-performing loans (NPLs) have been increasing both for SMEs (from 3.35% to 3.95%) and for total businesses (from 2.40% to 3.03%). The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have contributed to this increase. Nevertheless, NPLs are still well managed and remain under 5%.
The share of short-term loans for SMEs over total short-term loans fell by 16.43% in the 2011-2020 period, from 25.4% in 2011 to 8.96% in 2020. While in 2011 the amount of short-term outstanding loans for SMEs was IDR 120 trillion, in 2020 it stood at IDR 131.66 trillion; this represents an increase of 9% in the 2011-20 period. However, long-term loans in the same period experienced much stronger growth, rising from IDR 354.9 trillion in 2011 to IDR 1 084 trillion in 2020, which corresponds to a compound growth rate of 205.44% and an annual average growth rate of 14.54%. The increasing trend in long-term loans illustrates lenders’ higher trust in Indonesian SMEs.
In the period from 2011-2020, interest rates on loans declined for all business, by 3.8% for SMEs (from 14.53% to 10.69%) and 2.92% for large companies (from 12.28% to 9.36%). Although interest rates are declining in Indonesia, they are still very high compared to the average in other countries.
Venture capital financing shows a significant increase, reaching IDR13.40 trillion in 2020, a 208% increase compared to 2012. In the 2012-2020 period, the amount of financing grew positively, with an average growth rate of 16.73%.
Other non-bank finance indicators show a slight decline in 2020 compared to 2019. Leasing and hire purchases decreased by 13% in 2020. Factoring activities also exhibit a similar trend, decreasing by 24% in 2020.
Accessing finance is still challenging for most SMEs in Indonesia. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, many SMEs have been affected by financial problems. After successfully launching the People Business Credit Programme or Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) in 2007, the Indonesian government launched the National Economy Recovery Program in 2020 to overcome the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with total support for MSME and corporation financing amounting to IDR 173.17 trillion in 2020 and 186.81 trillion in 2021.